Republicans hope to take control of the Iowa Senate, where Democrats currently hold a one-vote majority. So the governor has more than his own re-election on his mind. He’s planning stops in 13 Iowa towns and it’s no accident those include Washington and Newton. That’s where some hotly-contested Senate races are underway.

“Look at my schedule,” Branstad says, “and see where I'm going to be and those are some of the key Senate races for the state of Iowa.”

In Washington, Republican Michael Moore and Democrat Kevin Kinney of Oxford have each received thousands of dollars in assistance from their respective parties as they vie for an open seat.

In Newton, Democrats gave their candidate Chaz Allen almost a quarter of a million dollars in help in the last reporting period for his race against Republican Crystal Bruntz.

Branstad was recently in Wapello County where democrats have targeted incumbent Republican Mark Chelgren for defeat.

“I'll be campaigning for several of those candidates,” Branstad says, “but I know it’s up to the voters to decide who can best represent them.”

In another big spending race in Fort Dodge, Democrats helped out their incumbent Daryl Beall to the tune of 113,000 dollars. Republicans contributed 56,000 to challenger Ken Kraayenbrink.